In the quest for the most innovative inventions, scientists are probing all directions for ways to interact and influence the world around them. What happens however when that drive for progression gets pushed further than one may hope to consider. In today's media fueled chaos, it's not common to feel a bit dismayed at some of the horrible events affecting many people imprisoned by the beliefs of those around them.

One of the biggest modern myths about agriculture is that organic farming is inherently sustainable. It can be, but it isn’t necessarily. After all, soil erosion from chemical-free tilled fields undermined the Roman Empire and other ancient societies around the world. Other agricultural myths hinder recognizing the potential to restore degraded soils to feed the world using fewer agrochemicals.

Without knowing it, most Americans rely every day on a class of chemicals called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFASs. These man-made materials have unique qualities that make them extremely useful. They repel both water and grease, so they are found in food packaging, waterproof fabric, carpets and wall paint.

Saturn and its rings backlit by the sun, which is blocked by the planet in this view. Encircling the planet and inner rings is the much more extended E-ring. NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute, CC BY

Cassini is the most sophisticated space probe ever built. Launched in 1997 as a joint NASA/European Space Agency mission, it took seven years to journey to Saturn. It’s been orbiting the sixth planet from the sun ever since, sending back data of immense scientific value and images of magnificent beauty.

In the spring of 1837, a “long, gawky, ugly, shapeless man” walked into Joshua Speed’s dry goods store in Springfield, Illinois, requesting supplies for a bed. Speed said the cost would be US$17, which ended up being too pricey for the visitor, who asked instead for credit until Christmas. The 23-year-old Speed was nonetheless taken with this stranger; he “threw such charm around him” and betrayed a “perfect naturalness.”

I’m an anthropologist who grew up in Japan and has lived there, off and on, for 22 years. Yet every visit to Tokyo’s Harajuku District still surprises me. In the eye-catching styles modeled by fashion-conscious young adults, there’s a kind of street theater, with crowded alleyways serving as catwalks for teenagers peacocking colorful, inventive outfits.

A Hungarian film titled “Sing” recently won the Oscar for best short film. “Sing” tells the story of young Zsófi, who joins a renowned children’s choir at her elementary school where “everyone is welcome.”

Could this be the world’s largest Fitbit? Supplied

Humans and animals need to do several things to pass on their genes: eat, avoid being eaten, reproduce and sleep. Missing any of these biological imperatives leads to death. But when we’re asleep we can’t perform those other functions. One of modern science’s big mysteries, then, is: why do we sleep?

In this episode of Upgrade, Motherboard goes to Baja California, Mexico to get a firsthand look at these free floating pods, and to get an understanding for why we need better ways to cultivate our future food sources. Whether it’s found on a plate of sushi, grilled in our backyard, or thrown on pasta, seafood is a staple for many diets around the world, and demand is growing. And as the commercial seafood industry booms, fish stocks worldwide face perilous declines.

It doesn't matter whether you're a vegan or meat-eater, there's an invisible war which many of us have little knowledge about. The way humanity is treating the animals which provide us with food and scientific advancement is evolving rapidly with many groups striving to free the horrible conditions in which many of these beautiful animals endure in the name of money.

Augmented reality is a concept which is only now taking hold of our world. From Pokemon Go to Mario Dash, tech corporations are heading straight into the unknown and unfiltered world of augmented reality with little to hold them back. While these amazing tools can be applied to help people experience the world in a new way, the very same mechanism can be used to trap us within it. It's always interesting to see what creative spark can manifest in the internet, and to see this come alive with technology is as close as you can get magic - seeing is believing after all, isn't it?

There are plenty of movies out there which portray the modern economy in inspirational light, but there also remains pockets of influence within many poorer countries which are constantly being exploited in the name of greed, leaving little for those left in its devastation.